“During my first meeting with Neil I carried in with me a LOT of food rules and I was packing a lot of fitness baggage, things I thought I ‘knew’ for sure. You name it, I’d tried it; ‘Glycemic index’, ‘The Zone’, ‘Clean eating’, Veganism to Paleo and everything in between and fell off each wagon eventually… but surely there had to be merit to all the gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, etc. rules? Surely carbs were in fact the sweat of the devil and would make me fat? Id tried every workout and nearly every sport, every race in an attempt to find a passion I could feel charged by and stick to. I longed for an efficient, challenging, and sustainable plan.
At our first meeting, Neil gave me clear, scientifically backed information and instruction and prescribed LOTS of ‘evil’ carbs to eat, and I was TERRIFIED. It took all the mental strength I could muster to trust him, trust the process, shake my ‘rules’ and follow his instructions to the letter.
In less than three weeks I was 100% mentally on board.
I was no longer scared, because -good grief- it was working.
I was feeling great; none of my fears or past presumptions were panning out. I was quickly losing fat while my overall shape and composition was improving. Most incredibly…I could literally eat or drink whatever and whenever I wanted on any given day as long as I made the numbers work.
Lately I get a lot of comments like “Wow you must be working out SO hard” or “you must be really missing fun food!” and the reality is just the opposite. My workouts are challenging, but not grueling in the least, I work out 4 times a week, and I leave charged, never exhausted. I always leave feeling stronger walking out than when I walked in. I’m eating around 1800-2000 calories a day currently, which on some days is a struggle just to pack it all into my face.
Out of interest, I did a quick tally and by the end of the 18th week I had consumed 18 awesome takeout chicken burritos (with magically delicious burrito sauce), 41 slices of delivery thin crust ham and pineapple pizza, 36 amazing homemade chocolate chip muffins, 27 cookies straight out of packages, and 205 grams of potato chips among a literal ton of whole natural fruits, veggies, grains, lean meats (and some not so lean meats because in my world happiness = cheeseburgers), oh and 756 liters of water.
Never once did I feel deprived. And not one day has gone by that I’ve deviated from Neil’s nutrition or workout prescription in over 6 months, not because I’m that regimented or some kind of kitchen cyborg, simply because it’s been for the most part quite easy for me to stick to and enjoy, as deprivation is not part of the equation.
The very fact unfolding right before my eyes was that I could eat food that I found enjoyable, perform a workout that felt fun, challenging, but never exhausting, and all the while my body would respond favorably. Admittedly at first it felt too good to be true…
I didn’t have to crawl out of a workout dripping and shaking and close to vomiting? I didn’t have to eat plain chicken and salad for my meals, or guzzle gallons of powders and supplements? I could be excited about getting up at 415am to get my workout in? WTF?
That’s right, it’s been over 6 months now that I’ve been waking up every day of the week and 415am (by choice) excited to get my sessions in at Trench before heading to my office job, or getting an early start on my weekends…and every day when I go to bed I look forward to getting up, every day I feel charged and on days that I don’t get to train, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about my next workout with great anticipation. At 36 years old I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I have become a morning person. Prior to Trench, mornings were an absolute chore, I hated getting up, I hated getting out of bed, and I hated going to work.
With Neil’s guidance I’ve created lifestyle conducive to my goals, and none of it feels like work. Previously I’d been living in constant mission mode’; lose the last 10 pounds, run a marathon, etc…all with an end date or a finish line. I was never really happy, because deep down, I wanted a healthy sustainable life style, not the silly medal at the finish line.
It took meeting Neil and Erika at Trench fitness to realize that my overall true goal was that I wanted to feel strong and healthy and feel fabulous in my own eyes, and to develop a lifestyle which supported that. I realized that the real goal, the only true goal all along, was that the lifestyle that got me to my physical goals was a sustainable one. Its sounds obvious, but it felt like an epiphany…
No more finish lines.
Each of the staff members at Trench are all the real deal. They are experienced, educated, and quite frankly just entirely motivating, positive, kickass people who walk the walk. They practice, live and breathe what they teach and are continually furthering their education. The facility is world class; intelligently designed, with client safety and wellbeing the first priority, filled with the highest quality, safest equipment and always sparkling clean. Passion oozes from the walls in the Trenches. From the clients of all fitness levels, to the staff, you won’t find a more inspiring, educated and experienced bunch of people anywhere.”
-Lindsey
